Conte was cleared to practice last week after missing the entire offseason and most of training camp following March surgery to stabilize his right shoulder, a problem for him the past two seasons. If he logs significant minutes against the Seahawks, he will be in the thick of the competition.

If he enters in the fourth quarter, that experience and whatever chances he gets next week in Cleveland could be too little, too late to win the job before the opener against the Bills.

Danny McCray, who has 10 career starts (all in 2012) in four seasons with the Cowboys, remains listed with the first team. McCray started the first two exhibitions and has made the most plays on the ball among the free safety candidates since camp opened. But his signing in March was viewed at the time as a special teams addition, as he had played for Joe DeCamillis in Dallas.

It's not as if McCray or anyone else, including fourth-round draft pick Brock Vereen, has asserted himself as the clear choice. The Bears are finally fully healthy at the position as veteran Craig Steltz, who had been sidelined while recovering from groin surgery, is also expected to play Friday for the first time.

McCray has good size at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, and if the Bears have shown anything recently, it's a tendency to go with the bigger player when all else is equal. Vereen is a little smaller than you would like at 5-11, 199. He has tackled fine but hasn't flashed.

It's probably a three-man race including Conte, but the coaches' actions will speak much louder than words. The only other possibility is if the team considers shifting Ryan Mundy to free safety and using 34-year-old Adrian Wilson at strong safety.

If the Bears are genuine about considering Conte, it would make sense to give him some action with the first team because time is running out for a coaching staff that has been mixing and matching at what was a problem spot in 2013.

"It is a big game for me, but the focus is just getting better," Conte said. "Come out with a good starting point and then go from there and improve."

Conte originally dislocated his right shoulder in the 2012 preseason, and it became progressively more problematic, eventually leading to the surgery. He says he won't think about it if a running back emerges through a hole and the angle dictates Conte has to lower his right shoulder and drive through the ball carrier to make a tackle.

Tackling is the Bears' issue with Conte, not the flat-footed error against the Packers in the final game last season. He failed on too many plays in the open field in 2013, when the Bears allowed 1,400 yards after missed tackles, according to Tucker.

According to pro-football-reference.com, Conte had 16 missed tackles last season, tied for fifth-most among NFL safeties and one more than former Bears safety Major Wright. They're going to happen, especially in one-on-one scenarios. They just can't happen as often.

When team meetings break down into position meetings, Tucker has been spending the majority of his time with the defensive backs. He's confident when the season starts in a little more than two weeks, the Bears will have the right pairing.

"I talk to Chris all the time," he said. "I get a sense he is ready for this. I mean, he's not a rookie and it's not like he has never been out there. He's worked hard to get back and wants to play."

There is much for Conte to prove in a short period. He's entering the final year of his contract. If he bounces back, he could have a promising future. If he doesn't, it will be difficult to stick.

He understands the stakes, and he's eager to prove a long list of doubters wrong.

"I have to get back to playing at a high level," he said. "There are a lot of people that don't believe in me and probably are not sure whether I can do it.

"I want people to look at me and respect me and when they see me on the field, they say, 'That guy is a good player.' And when my peers play against me, I want them to think about me and respect me."